Patient care measured by positive outcomes

Get insight into UHS’ behavioral health outcomes.

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Quality has always been the hallmark for patient care in all UHS facilities. The company has historically worked closely with national, state and local organizations to identify measures to improve quality.

The Behavioral Health Division of UHS treats more than 455,000 patients each year. While the division has grown sharply since its beginning in 1983, we remain focused on raising the bar and delivering the highest possible quality care.

“We have always operated on the philosophy that we do not want to be the biggest; we want to be the best and deliver the highest quality care to our patients,” says Debbie Osteen, UHS Executive Vice President and President of the Behavioral Health Division.

Ninety-two percent of patients served in the behavioral health facilities report that they felt better upon discharge, compared to when they were first admitted.

A key to acting on this management philosophy is the division’s use of behavioral health outcome measurement data. The data provides knowledgeable insights that help to guide the team and inform the treatment of each individual patient.

For example, this data-driven approach aids in solving issues that may arise across UHS facilities. The process allows on-site behavioral teams to monitor risk indicators such as readmission, falls and patient satisfaction, all of which are key indicators of a behavioral health service’s performance. Additionally, UHS facilities have been leading the industry in expanding their use of clinical outcomes and referral provider satisfaction benchmarking.

At the corporate level, UHS uses these metrics to develop best practices and interventions that can be applied in facilities across the organization. Individual facilities are also encouraged to devise and share their own best practices with their sister entities.

So how is UHS measuring up?

Ninety-two percent of patients served in the behavioral health facilities report that they felt better upon discharge, compared to when they were first admitted.

According to all seven clinical quality measures defined by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Quality Reporting program, more than 91 percent of UHS’ behavioral health facilities outperform the national average. The patients served also report positive experiences. According to a 2016 survey of more than 312,000 UHS patients, the average patient satisfaction score was 4.46 out of 5. A rate of over 89 percent.

As UHS believes it can always do better, the work of measuring behavioral outcomes is never done. For instance, clinicians are constantly benchmarking themselves and looking for new, better ways to improve quality and safety.

Not only does UHS find the use of behavioral health outcomes management principles key to improving patient care, it’s also finding that patients appreciate its efforts to incorporate their feelings, personal experiences and feedback into the process. As a result, they feel more invested in UHS’ standards for quality patient care.

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